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Promises
by: Kyah Hollen

I have promised to make you happy,
But why are you so sad?
Each day goes by and I cannot see your smile:
Your sweet, quiet, secretive little smile.
You used to be so happy
Your laugh, I remember the most,
The way the sun reflected off your glistening white teeth,
Blinding me with beams of golden light.
Remember the days we spent hiking through the woods
Praying we’d find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow
While our cheeks were stuffed like chipmunks with Nutterbutters?
You were so full of life; what happened?
Now, I see your crumpled body hiding in the shadows, in corners.
The way your hair falls out in soft, blondish-brown clouds.
I have promised you my love,
Yet why do you seem so frightened?
I can see your wide-eyed stares, blank and spacey
The way your eyes keep shrinking into the back of your skull.
Your movements have slowed, I can tell
Your skin has turned the color of greenish-gray; you look like a ghost.
I don’t understand; Please tell me what is wrong.
I promise things can get better,
But how can I reach you when your eyes seldom focus,
When your voice is but a whisper?
You are a bag of bones, so frail and so weak.
Please, Come back. You have gone too far.
If only promises could bring you back....
If only.

©2001 Kyah Hollen. Reprinted with Permission.

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